Behind the Bike Shed

THE BIKE SHED MOTORCYCLE CLUB

Moved by the usual apathy, disorganisation, and general “we are all individuals” issues around being a motely crew of shed-bike, cafe racer, scrambler and street-tracker riders, a bunch of us decided to combine our infrequent blogs, blags and email banter into something that might be more coherent as a whole… a group blog/glog/mag thing.

If actually we had sheds (well, apparently Adam has got a shed, and Tim & Kev work in one), then we’d metaphorically be in them whenever we are out riding, tinkering or talking bikes…

…Sheds are where men (and a few hardy women) escape to leave behind the world and all it’s crap. To oogle over metal, oil and fuel, in perfect harmony – where what looks right, is right, and the freedom of two wheels is one of our greatest pleasures.

Follow us as the BSMC – Bike Shed Motorcycle Club – on and

Dutch is a convert from the world of black and orange KTMs into being a Ducati Sport Classic owning cafe racer aficionado. He started blogging the odd rant under the title Full Tilt, while working half-heartedly in the media business and it’s metamorphosised into The Bike Shed – which was founded in Dec Nov 2011.

Writing on the Bike Shed website is now shared out between several BSMC members, under editor Ross. Writers include Ross, , , , Gareth G, and . Steve takes care of he site development.

His missus, the Dutchess, represents the ladies and makes sure he spends as much time taking care of her bikes as he does his own. Here are their current bikes…

Follow Dutch here on The Bike Shed every day and on the . Email him .

Adam is one third of the team behind with Rex and Anita, building stripped-down, bad-ass street/scrambler Beemers out of a rough and ready garage, Victory Motorcycles, under the Arches in Camden Lock. He also blogs in between dodging the local knife-wielding Camden scrotes.

A few pics of (L-R); Tim, Adam, Hugo, Martin, Barry, Adam again and the Dutchess:

Tim & Kev make up , working out of an old pig-shed in Kent they are building some stunning “regenerated motorcycles” based on bikes from Yammie XS650s to Kwacka Zs, Triumphs to whatever. They are all beautiful. (The bikes, not the boys). Both stem from the creative industry so they have an eye for beauty in all it’s mechanical forms. They about the progress of their builds or sometimes just what their mates are up to.

Kev & Tim from Spirit of the Seventies and a few of their bikes:

Tim tears up the back roads of Kent.

Follow Spirit on their and their

So, if you want to join us to talk bikes, we’ll be down in the . See you there or follow us on .

If you want to email us, maybe submit pics of your bike for a feature, to join us as a contributor, or just to say hello, email or
Johnson won’t be able to tap that source imperative link write my research paper of funds

83 Comments

Dutch

16/01/2012

Our pleasure. It’s all a bit quiet now that’s it’s winter in the UK – and we’re so new – but there’ll be plenty going on from Spring, as well as new partnerships, builders, events and other good stuff… By the way love you Desmo hog and the Imola 904. We’d love to feature both on the Shed?

joss

20/09/2013

hi Dutch.

i had a bike built by larry at lamb engineering which is the center fold in the october issue
of BSH magazine just wondering if you would like to include it in your show.
its described as a cross between a cafe racer and a super moto so may not be your thing.
very much looking forward to the show,
joss

Ben

Dutch

05/09/2012

Hey Ben

Thanks. We’re all in and around London. Although Tim & Kev from Spirit are in Kent near Brands Hatch, while the rest of us are within a couple of miles of Islington. You can hear us up the Holloway Rd on a Thursday night off to the Landseer pub (when it’s warm and dry)

Ben

07/09/2012

Sounds good. I absolutely love the classic style bike. Right now I’m getting around on a standard jap 600 but next year I plan on getting myself something a little sweeter. Would love to get my hands on a Ducati Sport Classic 1000s but they’re not too common. Searching for it is how I came across your website. That paul smart ducati is beauutiful! Lucky you The only thing that qualms my desire to own one is seeing all the other beautiful bikes on this webiste. Keep posting!

Man, I just spent a good hour looking through the distinguished Gentleman’s club photos as posted through Facebook.

I love this! Please get in touch with me about how I get involved. Still running the Superduke but itching to get a bike from my past. Thinking about a Kawasaki triple as this is the bike I used to be loyal to, had everything in my 20’s from the 250 through to the 750 but they now command the high prices.

Next on my list is a Laverda Jota but even more special to me is the 500 Montjuic. I’m searching ebay. They are rare.

But anyway, get in touch. Not sure how I do so but we share a lot of passions in common.

Dutch

Hamish Lamont

07/11/2012

Awesome site guys! Really enjoying it.
I’ve spent the last year documenting the rebuild of my ’89 Ducati SS, now a carbon Supermono bodied 944cc hotrod. Will send you all the info once done for consideration for you BSMC.
Till then will enjoy the inspiration.
Cheers
Hamish (ex Britten MC Co)

Hi Dutch , i meet you and the mrs on the gents ride and been browsing your site , as an owner of a few cafe bikes i would love to keep in the loop , would be bang up for some trackdays , ride outs , by the way fantastic finding you lot on the gents ride out day ( only found out on the day so felt a little under dressed ) , Keep it on 2 wheels ,Paul

Dutch

16/11/2012

Hey Paul Feel free to take part in everything we do, and consider yourself part of the BSMC. The big stuff is always in our Calendar page on here and we will have more rides and hopefully a trackday next spring, while smaller events and pub meets (the Landseer in Islington or the Flask in Highgate are popular on a Thursday night) usually get mentioned on our facebook pages at http://www.facebook.com/BikeShedMotorcycleClub.

HELLO DUTCH , HOPE YA WELL !
WE MEET AT THE DG RIDE FEW MONTHS BACK . ANY WAY HERE,S ONE FOR YOUR DIARY . WE ARE GETTING A FEW LIKE MINDED PEOPLE TOGETHER FOR A MEET TO CHAT BIKES , DRINK COFFEE …. BLA BLA ON THE 24 TH MARCH 2013 AND WOULD LOVE TO CATCH UP AND CHECK OUT ANY CAFE , FLAT TRACK , BOBBER BODS THAT MIGHT FANCY A DAY OUT .
WE VE ORGANISED AN EVENT ALONG WITH A CUSTUM BUILDER AND SPECIALIST WRAPPER AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS
1-2 JOHNSONS WAY , PARK ROYAL TRADING ESTATE NW107PF ( OFF CORONATION RD ).
FEW BIKES ON DISPLAY & PROMO GIRLS TO KEEP US HAPPY !

Dutch

Rik

05/02/2013

Hi Dutch..

love the site and its philosophy….breath of fresh (old) air.
Been tinkering myself wıth the old airheads…….had an old 1980 R80 and got some bits from Ritmo Sereno.
Now have a standard GT1000 …..am trying to resist the modify bug but I know it wont be long!!!

Hi,
I am a biker, photographer and blogger.
I am coming to your event on Sat or Sun.
Would it be worth coming on Friday to the press view to try and get some photos without too many people around the bikes?
If so i would like to come then, could you let me know who to contact and liaise with.
Thanks
Fingers

the don

31/05/2013

hi fingers i’m a returned biker and starting out on the build your own bike scene, was at the show in shoreditch so ——- good! now just got in from a meet at the ace cafe wembley, very diff scene but now found you here so before i say any more are you fingers from chalk farm?

Adrian White

Dutch

14/05/2013

We have “round the back” parking on New Inn Yard behind the venue, £3 donation (to Amnesty) and fully staffed.
Check the updated parking info on all the events pages in the Calendar, header, features and facebook.

John

Dutch

01/06/2013

Hi John

We did think about it, but I didn’t want to try to compete with Do The Ton, as they have become the forum for most cafe racer builders. If we did have a small forum on here it would need to be a bit different. Your thoughts are very welcome.

I want to congratulate you all for these beautiful works shown.
I’m from Brazil, and I’m looking for inspirations like these, to turn my cb 450 on a bike as beautiful as yours.
I would love to personally meet your work, and if you want you can keep in touch, because surely divulge their work to all who know and are lovers of bikes.

peter

peter

08/09/2013

Hey Dutch.
I see you come from the black and orange KTM world.
Well me too. I still own and ride a 640 LC4 but now also I am a cafe racer addict with a shed build yamaha xs 1100 cafe racer. So I have much sympathy for your site.
Cheers, Peter

DerekGeorge

25/09/2013

Hi Dutch
I’m thinking of making the trip to the Gentleman’s ride and as I’m coming from the North of England will I have to pay any congestion charge (on the bike )in London, not my first time down south but I usually take the train
please help, Del boy

Colin Tennant

01/11/2013

Bikeshed,

Lovin your work and the whole feel….(must be something to do with the aging process). Is there anybody in Scotland doing this kind of thing? You have stirred thoughts of a CB900F project, i’d need to dig it out of the garage first though.
I reckon a Bike Shed event would go down well here (Aberdeen) i could think of a couple of decent venues too!!

There are people in the North of England, and we’re about to feature a build by a Scotsman called Jamie, but we don’t know of a scene north of the border. (…although I was born in Paisley) …Maybe you should start something!
Meanwhile, get cooking with that CB900 and then get some photos for a Shed feature.

matthew

Matthew, you could do worse than try John at Pitstop paint. He is on the Isle of Harris, but works on full bike sprays by courier – you will have some of his stuff in Streetfighters, BSH and 100% Biker. Other custom artists worth trying are Percy at Bad Brush.
Plenty to go at.

Ali Latimer

26/11/2013

Welcome Woody
Hope you enjoy the site as much as the rest of us, if you’re not already, don’t forget to follow on Facebook and twitter, keep an eye on the calendar for future events, be great to meet you and see your progression with the CB.
The best advice; trawl through the site and others, get inspiration from everything, not necessarily just other bike builds… and get in the Shed!
All the best

Mark/Alien

01/12/2013

Hey Dutch/Dutchess
I’ve been slowly catching up with the Custom/Rat scene for a while and at last there’s a whole bunch of like minded bike hot rodders in Norf Lahndan.
Next time I get a chance I’ll be at the Landseer or the Flask on a Thursday. I seem to be the only one left out of my North London buddies who still has a bike. Even my daughter (who passed her test 18 months ago) has moved south of the river!!
Do you still meet at either of the above pubs during the colder months??
Best
Mark

Hey Mark, We’ve been a bit slack about meeting since the October Event, mostly due to us all having to get back to the day jobs/wives/kids, etc to make up for three major events in one summer (and the little ones) and a host of other bike related distractions. However, the Landseer is our regular and we’ll be back there with our bikes on the occasional Thursday once the weather dries up a bit, not because we’re wusses, but because for most of us the Landseer is within walking distance. When we do a biggie (with bikes) we’ll post up on the Calender. Meanwhile, look out for us on the road in all weathers. Barry, Ian and I ride daily to and from work on noisy customs through Islington into town and beyond, and there’s also Ben, Vikki and Gareth out there on standout bikes with BSMC stickers.

Mark/Alien

05/12/2013

Hi Dutch
Thanks for the swift reply. I’m usually working in or around Highgate, Holloway, Hornsey, Muswell Hill, Islington areas so I’ll see you soon hopefully on my loud, all black Speed Triple. I’m on the lookout for a CB550 to hack up over the winter. Luckily I’ve got a big shed to hide away in!!
Cheers
Mark
P.S.
Any chance of throwing a couple of stickers my way??

Alien

26/08/2014

CB550 acquired. It’s now in bits, groan, frame coming back from powder coaters this week so I can start putting it all back together, hopefully in time for this years DGR, but we all know about the best laid plans of mice and men……

Guy Rowland

16/12/2013

Hi there
Any thoughts on the next date for the next DGC ride out and other events
I work in the trade as a commercial agent and would like to be involved maybe promoting the club round the mc dealers in the southeast.
Let me know if I can help
Best Regards
Guy, fellow Paul Smart rider

Guy Rowland

17/12/2013

Hi Dutch
Thanks for the info, just bear me in mind if you need some help.
Know a lot of bike dealers well as I’ve been calling on them for over 25 years and can always call in a favour or two!!
Be lucky

vince

05/04/2014

hi Dutch this is Vince from Italy but live in UK from quiet few years now i am from Surbiton Surrey and just got a bike Honda CB 400 SUPER 4 year 97 I am new on the road but have experience with riding due where I coming from Naples there the bike is pretty much all your transport with heat and disorganised traffic anyway Dutch as I see your are Cafe’ Race bike builder and compliments at all the bike on bike shed all beauties I am thinking to give a personal touch to mine but need serious help? cuold let me know about it? it will be appreciate thank you for your time and good week end

vince

Hi Vince, The BSMC is not a bike builder, we are a co-op of independent Bikes Builders, including; Untitled Motorcycles, Spirit of the 70s, Down & Out Cafe Racers, Kevils Speedshop, Robinsons Speedshop, deBolex and Old Empire Motorcycles. Speak with any of them directly about your custom needs.

as you probably already noticed, we uploaded our Wannabe Shop, a shop for custom stuff from selected producers. http://www.wannabe-shop.de
We now want to ask you to publish a little bit of advertising on your website. Please answer us, so we can send you a little text and a pic.
If you have any questions, please ask. We really like to be in contact with you.

Prosz

Dooks

24/04/2014

Dutch,

Follow The Bike Shed on Facebook, keep them bobbers coming! They got me frothing (especially that black and white Triumph bad boy the other week). You guys might be new, but I think it is just the start of something big.

Pete Hughes

Hi Pete, Sounds like they know more than me, as I assume this is one of the bikes they brought with them for their Triumph display. That room was the only area we didnt curate ourselves. Did they not have details?

Pete Hughes

Hi there, I met you guys at the Coys auction last Friday. I think there is a great dynamic between our businesses and we may be able to help one another. I have a lot of lovely bikes, like CBX1000, a genuine Phil Read Replica, Bultacos, Montesas, GS1000 etc which I would love to put on your site. Is it possible to phone you to have a chat?
Paul Jayson 01364 631119 or 07971 4976156

Chris

04/09/2014

Hi Ductch, was wondering if I could consult your wisdom here. How do you go about insuring a custom bike in London if you dont have a garage? Everywhere i call simply says no …… do you just have to insure it for its stock value and run the risk of not getting all your money back if it gets nicked?

Hi Chris, it’s not just about being custom bikes, it’s usually a mix of the actual bike donor (cc, power, nickabilty, etc) with your home setup and security, your personal history and your post code. Most of us don’t describe our bikes as ‘custom’ as they’re usually to old to ever be standard without “replacement parts” being added as OEM parts decay. (…Mi’Lud.)
I find eBike are good at the moment, but this changes all the time. Also try Footman James, and look to the small ads in bike mags for specialist insurers. We did consider creating Bike Shed bike insurance, but it’s proving harder than we thought.